Hoisting and conveying apparatus



H. WEICKEL. HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3,1918.

1,351,882 PatentedSept. 7, 1920. I

Z SHEETS-SHEET I.

10 WHIHIIIZZ I'l i :3 M MIMI/$4M H. WEICKEL.

HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 311918. 1,351,882. Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- n lm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY WEICKEL, OF MILWAUKEE, VJISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO PAWLING AND HAR- NISCHFEGER COMPANY, OF MIL'WAUKEE, VIISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- CONSIN.

I-IOIS'IING AND CONVEYING APPAR ATUS.

Original application filed July 17, 1913, Serial No. 779,442.

To all whom itmay concern Be it known that I, HnNnY WEIGKEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting and Conveying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates particularly to hoists and conveyers of the class shown by United States Letters Patent No. 992,307, dated May 16, 1911, designed to be suspended and to run on an elevated monorail track, for picking up and transferring from place to place various materials such as lumber, and this a plication is a division of my application erial No. 779,.142, filed July 17, 1918. r

The main objects of the invention are to more steadily, stably and evenly support the load and to confine it in place, particularly in making turns or passing. curves when the trolley is running from place to place; and generally to improve the construction and operation of apparatus of this class.

It consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing like characters designate the same parts in both figures. 7 I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodying the invention as specially designed for handling lumber and the like; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sec tion on the line 22, Fig, 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, the apparatus comprises a trolley or drum frame 1, adapted to be suspended from an elevated monorail track 2, by wheels 3 and hangers 3 The track 2 consists of an I-rail, and the trolley wheels 3 arranged in pairs on opposite sides of its web, are adapted to run on the lower flanges of the rail. Two hoisting drums 4 are mounted in the'frame 1 on opposite sides of and parallel with its longitudinal center and equi-distant from the track 2. An electric motor 5, mounted on the frame 1. is connected by suitablegearing 6, with Specification of Letters Patent.

Divided and this application filed June 3,

Serial No. 237,843.

the drums at so as to rotate them simultaneously in opposite directions at the same speed and prevent their rotation independently of each other. Another electric motor 7, attached to the frame 1 and connected by gears 8 with one set of wheels 3, serves to propel the trolley along the track 2.

An operators cage 9, coupled with the trolley frame 1 through the frame of the propelling motor 7, is suspended in like manner from the track 2 by wheels 10 and a hange 11. Current for operating the motors is taken from a wire or conductor 12 pa 'allel with the track 2 by collectors 13, and the cage is provided with controllers 14 in the motor circuits. The transmission gearing of the propelling motor is provided with a brake 15 connected with a lever 16 in the cage.

vertically movable lifting frame 1' provided on opposite sides of its longitudinal center and adjacent to its ends with sheaves 18, is suspended from the trolley by cables 19, which are adjustably attached at one end by eye-bolts 20 to the frame 1, passin thence downwardly around the sheaves 18,

and attached at their other ends to the drums 1, on'which they are adapted to be simultaneously woundand unwound in opposite directions, as shown by Fig. 2.

The cables 19 pass downwardly from the outer sides of the drums 41, thus providing for suflicient distance between the points of suspension of the frame 17 to insure stabil ity of support thereof without unnecessarily separating the drums and widening the trolley frame 1. The drums at being compelled to rotate together, the eye-bolts 20 provide means for leveling the lifting fra .ie 17 and maintaining it in proper relation to the. trolley frame .1.

For guiding the lifting frame 7 into and holding it securely in place relative to the trolley for carrying a load, especially in passing around curves. th trolley frame is provided with depending stay and guide arms 21, which are inclined at their lower ends outwardly relative to longitudinal members of the lifting frame. as shown in Fig. 2. and inwardly relative to cross mem bers of said frame. as shown in 1. so that by engagement of said arms with said members-the frame when elevated, will'be gulded lnto and held 1n proper position relatwo to the trolley and. the track on whlcn it travels.

The lifting frame is provided with a grapple which may be of any suitable construction according to the nature oi the material to be handled.

'For example, for handling piled lumber,

sides with lugs 28, which are bolted to the shafts 81 are mounted in t These shafts are provided ad acent ends with horizontally disposed arms frame 22. V

To facilitate turning the frame 22 with a load suspenden therefrom into ditl'erent positons, relative to the trolley and the track on which it travels, the rings 23 and 24 are provided with all bearings, as shown by Fig. 2.

The frame 22 is provided at the corners with legs 29 to which adjacent to their lower ends are pivoted hooks 30. Above and Da allel with the pivots of the hooks, roeuer he une 22.

to the r which are connected by rods 33 with the hooks S0. The shafts 31 are also pro. midway between their ends with dependii g arms 34, which are connected by rods 05 with the outer downwardly extemling arms of hell crank levers 36. The inwardly ex tending arms of these levers, which are tulcrumedparallel with the shafts 3,- on the frame'22 within the ring 23, are connected by a swivel bolt 37 with the block or name of a vertically movable sheave 38, which 1s guided and held parallel with the sheaves 18 by its extended Journal pm. 39 engaging with the slots 27 of the cross webs 26, as shown by Fig. 2.

To enable the operator in the cage 9 to turn the hooks 30 into and out of operative position, a cable 40, attached at one end to one of the drums l so as to be wound and unwound simultaneously with the cables 19,

1 passesfrom said drum downwardly around the sheave 38 thence u )wardl around 'uid ing sheaves 4:1 and d2 on the trolley frame 1,

and over a guiding sheave 43 in the upper part of the cage, and is provided at its free end with a counterweight 44 of su'liicient size to'retain the hooks in place when miey are turned inwardly and upwardly into inoperative position, as indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 2. For locking and holding the hook or grapple frame 22 in dilierent positions relative to the lifting frame 17, the inner swivel ring 23 is formed or provided on the outer side with a number of sockets or keepers preferably four, arranged ninety degrees apart, so as to hold the frame '22 crosswise oi"? the lifting frame 17, trolley "frame 1 and track 2, or parallel therewith.

A spring actuated latch pin or bolt guided in one side of the ring 2% and the frame 22, is adapted to automatically on gage with any one of the sockets or keepers 4:5 when it is turned into register therewith. At its outer end the bolt 46 is connected with an arm 4L7, ona rocker shaft i8 mounted on the frame 22, as shown in Fig. l, and provided at one end of said frame with cross arm 4-9 having eyes at the ends, for turning it with a hand hook held byth operaror in F 1 and 2, the legs 29 are provided on their outer side opposite the hooks with cliucsl guides 52, which project below the lower ends oi the legs and are adapts l b engagement with the skids to direct the lower ends of the legs into place on top of the skids, and the hooks into position to be 7 turned underneath the skids into engagement therewith.

in the operation of the apparatus in handling lumber, for which it is special y designed, the lumber being pilcd on Si below and transversely to the elevated track 2, and the skids being blocked up from the ground sufficiently to permitthe hooks 30 to pass freely underneath them, to pick up a load, the trolley having been brought to a position directly over apileot' lumber and stopped in that position, the lifting "frame v17 is lowered by means of? the motor which turns the drums 4t, the frame 22 hr ingbeen turned into position so that t legs 29 will straddle the pile, as shown in Fig. 1. As the frames Hand 22 descend, the operator in the cage pulls down on the cable 40, thereby turning the hooks 30 in wardly and upwardly into position indicated by dotted lines onv Figi 2, to pass below the skids on the inner sides thereof.

llfhen the legs 29 dn'ectod'into propc sition by the incllned guides 52, s

at their lower ends on the skids 51, the op' erator pulls up on the cable &0, lifting the counterweight ale: and permitting the hoolrs to gra' 'tate downwardly and outwardly into operative position underneath the skids, as

shown by full lines on Fig. 2. The hoisting mechanism is then set in operation by the operator, the drums lfheiug turned in the proper direction to lift the frames 1'? and 2,2 and elevate the load carried by the hooks 30. As the frame 17 passes above the lower ends of the stay and guide arms '21, it is guided into proper position by theinclines at the lower ends of the arms parallel with the trolley frame 1 and the track 2, in which position it is confined by the arms while the load is transferred from one place to another. As the load is lifted with the frames 17 and 22, the hook operating cable L0 is wound on one of the drums 4 simultaneously with and at the same rate as the hoisting cables 19, so that at any elevation of the frame 22 relative to the trolley there will be no slack in the cable 40, and it will always be in condition to operate the hooks 30 by pulling up or down on the end to which the weight it is attachet.

In transferring the load from one place to another, in order to clear obstructions along the way it may be necessary to turn the frame22 into a position parallel with the traclr 2, or for depositing the load in a different position relative to the track from that in which it was taken up, it may be necessary or desirable to turn the hook or grapple frame 22 into different angular poitions relative to the lifting frame 17,

which is carried constantly parallel with the track In either case, the operator in the cage 9 with a hand hook caught into the eye at the upper or lower end of the arm 49, rocks the shaft l8 in the proper direction to withdraw the latch bolt 46 from the socket or keeper L5, with which it engages, and then by proper manipulation of the heel: still held in engagement with the arm turns the frame 22 into the desired position, in which it may be loelred if desired, by engagement of the bolt 46 with another socket or keeper 45.

The load having been transferred to the point where it is to be deposited, is turned by the operator in the cage into the desired position, and then lowered into place with the skids 51 resting on blocks or other sup ports, so that the hooks 30, engaging with the protruding ends of the skids, will be clear and free and may be turned inwardly and upwardly into inoperative position by pulling" down on the weighted end of. the cable l0, after the legs 29 are seated at their lower ends on the tops of the skids. The '5 then elevated till t e hooks 30 1 above the load which has been rle ositee, and if desired, may be turned by the two sets of cables 19 from the two drums 4 on opposite sides of and equidistant from the longitudinal center of the trolley frame 1 and track 2, prevents the tipping of an unbalanced load, surh as an unevenly piled load of boards, timber or bar material, whenrit is elevated and transferred, and particularly when the frame 22 with the load suspended therefrom, is turned into a position transverse to the frame 17 and drums l, as shown in the drawing, and thus tends to avoid collision with obstructions along the way.

Various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts of the apparatus may be made without materially affecting its mode of operation and without leparting from the principle and scope of the invention as oefined in the following claims.

I claim:

1.-In hoisting and conveying apparatus the combination of a trolley adapted to be suspended from and to travel on an elevated monorail track and provided on opposite sides of and parallel with its longitudinal center and equidistant from the track with two hoisting drums, a motor connected with said drums and adapted to rotate them simultaneously in opposite directions at the same speed, and prevent independent rotation thereof, and a liftingframe provided with two pairs of sheaves and suspended on opposite sides of its longitudinal center and adjacent its ends from the trolley by four cables passing around said sheaves and attached at their ends to the trolley frame and to said drums, the cables passing downward from the outer sides of the drums to the sheaves.

2. In hoisting and conveying apparatus the combination of a trolley adapted to hang and travel on an elevated monorail track and provided with hoisting: drums on opposite sides of and parallel with its longitudinal center and equidistant from the track, a lifting frame provided on opposite sides or" its longitudinal center and adjacent to its ends with four sheaves having their axes parallel with the axes of the drums, four cables attached at one end to the trolley frame, passing, thence downwardly and inwardly around the sheaves and thence up wardly and inwardly over the drums. to which they are fastener at the other end. a grapple ha 'ing a swivel connection with the lifting frame, and a motor mounted on the trolley and connected with said drums and adapted to rotate them simultaneously in opposite directions at the same speed and to prevent independent rotation thereof.

3. In hoisting and conveying apparatus the combination of a trolley adapted to hang and travel on an elevated monorail track and provided on opposite sides of and parallel with its longitudinal center and equidistant from the track with hoisting drums, a lifting frame provided on opposite sides of its longitudinal center and adjacent to its ends with sheaves having their axes parallel with the axes of the drums, cables fastened at one end to saiddrums and passing thence downwardly from the 15 outer sheaves and thence upwardly from the outer sides of the sheaves and adjustably fastened at the other end to the trolley frame, a grapple having a swivel connection with the lifting frame, and a motor mounted on the trolley and adapted to turn said drumssimultaneously in opposite directions at the same speed and to prevent independent rotation thereof.

In Witness whereof I hereto affix my signature. HENRY WEICKEL.

sides of the drums around said 

